Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910 with an uprising led by Abraham Reyes against the rule of President Ignacio Sanchez. Reyes overthrew Sanchez, but he proved to be a worse ruler than Sanchez, as he became a dictator who allied with the German Empire in World War I. By 1920 there had been over ten presidents and the war ended when Albaro Obregon assassinated his master Venustino Carranza.

Background
In 1910, Ignacio Sanchez overthrew President Porfirio Diaz in a coup of cavalry units, and in the process he killed his brother. Sanchez, educated in academies in Bolivia and Spain, was a smart leader, and he promised his people that the road would be a good one. However, resistance from previous regimes rose up under Abraham Reyes when his promises proved to be empty, and rioting in Mexico City killed 5,000 people. Sanchez used the systematic use of firing squads and mass executions to put his people into fright, and his United States allies concealed these atrocities to make him seem like a great and generous man. However, the people of Mexico suffered under his rule, particularly in the provinces of Nuevo Leon and Nuevo Paraiso. Reyes gained his support from peasants, men and women alike. His rebels hijacked trains and caused riots in major Mexican cities, creating chaos. Colonel Agustin Allende, considered to be the pet dog of Sanchez, was responsible for the violent suppression of many riots.

Reyes' Coup
The war went well for the Mexican government initially, gaining the aid of American "cowboys" such as John Marston and some US Army officers who sought to execute justice. Despite a clash with American forces in the Battle of Chester Bridge, the Mexican Army prevented an attack on a railroad, attacked the Tesoro Azul rebel hideout, the Torquemada mountain fort, and besieged Nosalida. They even managed to capture Reyes, but he was freed from his El Presidio prison by Luisa Fortuna and Marston, who worked for both sides in order to gain intelligence on the Mexican outlaw Javier Escuella.

Reyes' escape was the turning point of the war. He recaptured El Presidio from the Mexican Army, killed Mexican commander Vicente de Santa in an ambush at El Sepulcro, and moved on to attack Escalera with a large army. Although his admirer Fortuna died, he stormed Colonel Allende's villa and Allende and outlaw Bill Williamson were both executed by Reyes as they tried to escape the city.

The fall of Escalera led to outcry in other Mexican provinces, and Reyes besieged Mexico City itself. Although he faced stubborn resistance, he convinced several Army units to defect due to promises of higher pay. The defection of the Army units led to Sanchez's defeat, and he fled into exile in France. Reyes became the President of Mexico, leading the peasants to victory.

Continued War
Reyes became President, but renounced his promises to the peasants and became an authoritarian figure. He switched his political loyalties to a dictatorship, and allied with the German Empire to defend against any possible United States invasion. Meanwhile, landowner Francisco Madero, brutal general Victoriano Huerta, peasant leader Emiliano Zapata, and farmer Pancho Villa rose up to fight, fearing that he was no better than Sanchez.

The revolution became a civil war, and Madero was killed when Zapata captured Mexico City. Huerta was killed by his rising general Venustiano Carranza, who proceeded to fight against his opponents, defeating Pancho Villa at the Battle of Celaya in 1915. Villa continued to fight, and with support from Germany, he raided the United States. In 1916 General John J. Pershing failed to defeat Villa, and his Doughboys retreated from Mexico the next year. Carranza became President in 1918, having Zapata killed, but he was killed two years later by his officer Alvaro Obregon, the victor at Celaya. Obregon became the new President, and he had Villa killed.

Aftermath
Obregon did not last long after the end of the civil war. In 1927, he was assassinated by one of his people, and Mexico healed over time. It once again allied with the United States, fighting in World War II on their side.